School Begins

Musei Capitolini, Piranesi awards ceremony

Well, the Piranesi Prix di Rome competition is officially over. We had presentations last Friday, and we had the awards ceremony at the Musei Capitolini at Capitoline Hill on Saturday. The museum was beautiful, though we didn't get to see much of it. We also had to go through security to get in, which was interesting. Made us feel official.

The awards ceremony was interesting. It was mostly in Italian, which wasn't too helpful. I was able to understand bits and pieces. It was nice being able to see all of the participants in one room, and apparently more international students (American, Romanian, and Russian) participated than national, aka Italian students. I thought that was pretty neat, having so many nationalities designing together. Despite some organizational issues with my group, the experience overall was nice. It was refreshing knowing how other design students around the world work, as its fairly different from how we think in America. My group actually did win some sort of prize, but as the awards were given in Italian, I'm not actually sure what we won. It was probably an honorable mention of some kind, though.

On Saturday night, a group of us decided to try to find a bar that was showing the Penn State vs. Alabama game (9:30pm our time). We found a place called La Bonticella that is an American Pennsylvania sports bar. They had all kinds of Pennsylvania sports paraphernalia, and it was a nice, cozy space. We had some Peroni drafts and free peanuts (the container of which said 'Giovanni's nuts'). Though we lost rather badly, it was still a nice night and the bar had a really nice atmosphere. Not to mention we ran into newlyweds and a one-year anniversary couple. It was too cute. It was also nice to spend a night with some other Americans and chat about your experiences in Rome.

We went to a Sunday flea market in Trastevere as well. Its at least 3 kilometers long, and a lot of the stuff they sell is pretty reasonable. I got a pair of shoes for 4 euro, and I plan to go back again. Some of the shop venders do try to rip you off and most of them don't respect personal space, but that's really just how it is here. We're just not really accustomed to that in America.

Allan Ceen's Studio Urbis

The past two days we have officially started a normal class schedule. We've now had each of our classes at least once. They all seem really interesting. Our analysis class seems to tie into our studio. In our studio, we're doing a French competition. At first I freaked out at the thought of another competition, but this one seems much better. I think we're designing a university, and our site is in Via Trinitatis near the Spanish Steps in Rome. We should be having a site visit sometime this week, so there will be more pictures to come with that. Our cartography professor, Allan Ceen, is a real character. He's a great professor though, and you can tell he's quite knowledgeable. Our first assignment was to find his studio (Studio Urbis) from our studio at Via della Gatta (yes, that translates to Street of the Cat). He gave us a map and an assignment paper and basically told us to go, avoiding all main traffic roads (which I suspect was to make the assignment a bit harder, honestly) and drawing our path as we go. It was actually quite fun, exploring Rome alone and being able to take everything in. A lot of the back streets are quaint, even if you do run the risk of being hit by a Vespa. Given the nature of the class, it seemed like a fit assignment to start with.
Allan Ceen brought another interesting fact to our attention that I really hadn't given much thought to. He gave us a brief history of Rome during the first class, and a lot of the core ideas of Roman government (Republic, Senate, etc) are all used in American government. I feel like I really should have already known that, but I didn't. Rome, an ancient city, has tons of similarities with our country. He was saying how Rome has lost some of these ideals since the Roman Empire, as it fell over a thousand years ago, and how it is refreshing to see the United States operating with similar ideas. As Americans, we usually feel isolated from most of Europe since we are such a new country, but that connection was pretty meaningful to me.

Well, that is all we've really been up to. Our travel plans for this weekend are uncertain, but we're considering going to somewhere else in Italy. Next weekend we will be venturing to Munich, Germany for Oktoberfest with bus2alps. It should be a great time, and I am excited for Bavarian pretzels and some German beer steins.

I'll be sure to keep this updated (yes, I'm talking to you, Julie) once we have more experiences. Living in Italy finally doesn't seem so strange. I really enjoy cooking with fresh food, especially handmade pastas, fresh fruit and vegetables, and fresh meats. American preservatives will not be a nice change when we go home. I'm trying to speak a bit more Italian, though I usually panic when it actually comes to speaking to Italians. I know most of the basic language, I just need to make myself use it. I'm sure I will in time. I don't think I'll ever get used to the traffic, though.
Well, ciao for now. I'll leave you all with a nice photo of my group (gruppo 14) from Piranesi in the Italian students' apartment in Tivoli.

Colosseum by Twilight

Though we've been kept busy with the Piranesi Prix de Rome competition, Rachel and I still found time to take a nighttime walk through Rome. Our destination was the Colosseum, but we ran into Capitoline Hill and the Arch of Constantine along the way.

Capitoline Hill

All three places look beautiful at night. Its amazing to think that we walked where so many famous people in history once walked. A lot of Roman history happened all of these sites. It amazes me that people who have lived in Rome their entire lives actually become used to seeing stuff like this everyday. Rachel and I took this weird back way to the Colosseum (not to mention kinda shady) and all of a sudden we were standing on Capitoline Hill. That just doesn't happen in the United States. The Italian participants in my group for the Piranesi competition were actually asking our opinion about this because they feel that they don't know how the rest of the world views ruins, as they are so used to them themselves. All of Italy (and probably a lot of Europe too) is like that. Its just so different than what we're used to. The United States have only been a united country for a couple hundred years, whereas Europe has been organized for much much longer than that. It doesn't seem like it makes a difference, but it definitely does.

Colosseum

Our next stop was the Colosseum. I'd really like to see it during the day so I can do the tour. That's on my very long list of things to do while I'm here. It looks amazing at night. I love how they illuminate all of their ruins for tourists to see. I wish I could have seen it when it was in its prime way back in the day, but its held up pretty well. I think both the Colosseum and the Pantheon are especially impressive. They're both thousands of years old, but they're still basically intact. Villa Adriana and the Baths of Caracalla are impressive too, but its much harder to imagine what they actually looked like when they were built. They both look like they were magnificent too, so it's a shame that they weren't able to stay as intact. The Arch of Constantine is right by the Colosseum as well. I didn't even realize it was there at first... it seems like its just sitting there off to the side. It was still impressive to see, though.

Walking through the streets of Rome at night is peaceful, but at the same time, there's some strange people out. You have people walking their dogs, tourists, and then some generally shady seeming people. I guess that's the life of a city, though. I do appreciate how many dogs I've seen since being here though. Villa Adriana has random dogs just running around the villa. I think they must be strays, but the staff there must feed them. They're actually very cute dogs. I also saw someone walking a white german shepherd that reminded me of Bolt.

That's all for now. I think we're seeing the Musei Capitolini sometime soon after this competition has ended. I'll be sure to keep this blog updated.

Thanks to everyone who takes time to read this. Ciao for now.

Tourist Attractions

Another few days in Roma. We've done some very tourist-y sightseeing in the past few days, that is when we aren't being shuffled from one place to another for this competition we're doing.

We decided to eat at a cafe before our outing. We had bruschetta as an appetizer, which is the first time I've ever eaten the dish. I don't really like tomatoes, but this was delicious. We actually got the appetizer, primo piatto, secondo piatto, and a dessert all for a 10 euro special. We shall make a return visit.

Bruschetta, which is some tomatoes on toasted bread with olive oil and spices.

The soda here is even different. It tastes much better, for one, because they use natural flavors with no preservatives. You wouldn't think that would make a difference, but it does. The orange soda in the photo was made with real oranges. It tasted basically like slightly carbonated orange juice. Delizioso.

That same day we had one destination we had to see: the Pantheon. I've never been to Europe, and whenever I think of Italy, I think of wine, cheese, the Colosseum, and the Pantheon. On our way to the Pantheon, we ended up in the Piazza Navona. Since I've been in Italy, I haven't really fully believed that I was here. It seemed that I was just in a really cute town somewhere. Walking into the Piazza Navona convinced me. Its absolutely enormous, and its so gorgeous. The fact that all of those statues and the details in the buildings has lasted for so many years is just amazing. I was also instantly reminded of Dr. Craig Zabel's class and his love for Bernini and the Fountain of the Four Rivers.

Piazza Navona

Fountain of the Four Rivers

After spending some time there, we finally reached the Pantheon. It was crowded, but I think it always is. I never realized how big the Pantheon actually is. I've seen tons of pictures of it (thank you, Jamie Cooper) but never realized just how large it actually is. Its also pretty cool that when we leave class everyday that we see the Pantheon the second we walk out the door.
It truly is remarkable how the Pantheon is essentially intact compared to what it was thousands of years ago. I suppose its because it was used as a church. They still had an altar and pews set up. No idea if they use them, though.

Interior... tons of people

Love the oculus and the light. Will be making a trip to the Pantheon when it rains too.

Exterior

We also happened upon an Italian church when we were near the Pantheon. It was called Chiesa di Santa Maria Maddalena I think. I've never heard of it, but the interior was very well decorated and intricate. It was all the original marble and gold leaf. I don't really go to church, but I'd go to mass just to be able to sit in that church. Its weird to think that Italians are used to going to church in places so ephemeral and beautiful.

Interior of the church

We also happened across the Trevi Fountain too. We had no idea we were so close to it. We stopped at a pharmacy too (farmacia). They're nothing like CVS from the States. Everything is locked away in cabinets, and pharmacists (called chemists here) have you get basically everything for you - anything from tylonel to typical prescription drugs. They're also expensive. A lot of our prescription drugs aren't even legal here. I got medication for mosquito bites, which apparently are monster mosquitoes judging by the size of the bites. The medication basically looked like ammonia-flavored lip gloss. It worked well, though.

Trevi Fountain

The sculptures were very majestic, but its a pretty crowded tourist spot. It was hard to really get a good view of it. I want to try to go at night and see it illuminated, and possibly have a bit more space.

Living in Italy is definitely an experience. The cashier at the supermarket got visibly angry because we didn't give exact change. At least I'm assuming she was annoyed. She looked angry and seemed to be saying some very angry words in Italian. Not appreciated. Being able to walk to get gelato or go to an open market for fresh fruit, vegetables, and pasta is great, though. Making fresh beef with peppers and onions for dinner is delicious. I've already tried three flavors of gelato (fragola, cioccolato, tiramisu) and am aiming to try all flavors before I leave. Its nothing compared to American ice cream. Its just so creamy, and its probably better for you too.

I really would like to see the Colosseum and Spanish Steps. I'm sure I'll see them eventually. We found one of the shopping streets (Via del Corso) where we found an H&M. Its basically the same as in America, but its cooler because it's in Italy.

We also went to a festival along the river one night. They had all of these little tables, chairs, and cushions set up alone the river in Trastevere. Clarissa, Naeemah, Rachel, and I all sat and had some wine and chatted. It was a very quiet yet enjoyable night. I wish I could do that every night. They even had little stalls set up for shopping. It seems to be a summer festival, and because it is officially September (already?!), I'm pretty sure its over now. It was nice while it lasted, though. I'm excited to see if there are more celebrations and festivals in Rome and Europe as a whole.

That's all for now. Ciao, a presto!

That will be all for now. Ciao :)

Life in Rome

We've now been here for about four days. Some parts have been slow (and hot), and other days have flown by. Time just goes in a different way here. Italians like to take their time with everything. They walk slowly (nothing like Penn State where everyone is power-walking, with their head in the clouds) and enjoy their surroundings, and they like to sit and enjoy their food. Time is much more relative here. They don't really concern themselves with being on time. Its a lot to get used to, but they seem to live pretty full lives.

I'm getting more used to the dorm/apartment set up we have here. We also have a beautiful view, but we always hear the traffic at night. There's a festival along the river near our complex, and we hear the music at 1am. Italians seem to really enjoy 1970's and 1980's music, particularly Beach Boys and Madonna. They actually like a lot of our music. I've heard a lot of Coldplay too.
We're right along the Tiber River (Il Fiume Tevere), which is really beautiful, not to mention huge.

View from our room of our courtyard.

Naeemah and I look out over the courtyard in our dorm complex at Sant'Maria in Cappella. Its really gorgeous, and I'll probably sit out there when it's not so hot outside. Its been in the 90's basically the entire time we've been here, and its exhausting.

On Saturday, we went to the Villa Adriana, or Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli, Italy. Its really gorgeous, and I wish I could have seen it when it was fully intact. Most of the ruins are brick, but all of the walls were covered in marble, which I'm sure was fantastic to see. The Villa is almost 2,000 years old, and its amazing to imagine that people that long ago had occupied the spaces. Unfortunately, a lot of it is missing because a lot of the material was stolen over the years, but it truly is cool how much is still left.

Unfortunately, it was really hot the day we went, and there isn't too much shade there. I've never had so many bottles of water in such a small amount of time in my life. We were there from around 9am to 9pm. It was a really long day, and eventually we just sat at the cafe to cool off. Our tour guide/future professor, Allan Ceen, is pretty ridiculous, but he's really cool. He knows so much about all of this stuff. He even demonstrated to us how to use a Roman bathroom.

A really awesome space, especially with the light.

Maritime Theater, Hadrian's Island Retreat

The Canopus, with caryatids and long pool. Used for dining and relaxing.

 We had aperitivo for dinner. I'm quickly learning that Italians don't eat nearly as much as we do. Last night was the first time I've had meat since I've been here. Aperitivo was basically like small appetizers, and though they were good, they were pretty small. They do have some delicious sodas here though, and the Fanta here is amazing. Its less carbonated, and it tastes more like tangerine than orange. Its probably going to become an addiction of mine.

We met some of the people we'll be doing the Piranesi Prix de Rome competition with. We're working with the Landscape Architecture students and Italian and Romanian students. Some of them seem nice. I don't know who I'm working with yet, though.

Yesterday morning, we went to the Terme de Caracalla (Baths of Caracalla). It wasn't as hot, and pictures really don't do the place justice. They're huge, hundreds of feet high. They're thousands of years old, and you just have to imagine that the people who actually used the space had never seen a space that big before. It was probably amazing to them, and it probably seemed like the gods lived there or something.

We went to a cute cafe/pizzeria on our way back from the Baths. I had some Marguerita pizza, which is a hundred times better than it is in the States, not to mention it wasn't greasy (looks like I'm never going to be able to eat Canyon again... what a shame). It was delicious, and it wasn't all that expensive. The euro to dollar exchange rate is a bit painful, as one euro is worth almost $1.50.

Italian restaurants/cafes operate differently than in the United States. They give you a glass and a can, and you pour your drinks yourself. You also have to specify between "frizzante" and mineral water. The water "with gas" is not really that great tasting to me, basically tastes like seltzer water.

We also went to an Italian bar last night at the Campo di Fiori. It was quaint, and had tables outside facing the plaza. Its very unusual for Italians to each order their own drink (we are such alcoholics) or their own food at a bar. We didn't realize this until after we ordered, though. We did get free pasta, though. They came out with a huge pan and started handing it out to everyone. Rachel and I discovered a new beer - Peroni - which is Italian and tastes pretty good, basically like Yuengling.

I was homesick when I first got here, and I still miss everyone from home, of course. We're finally starting to get into the swing of things here, though, even though this competition seems pretty intense. Hopefully it will be fun working with the students from Italy and Romania. Some of our classes start this week too, and they all sound really interesting. Today, I should be seeing some of the tourist locations of Rome - Colosseum, Pantheon, etc. Pictures are sure to come.

Ciao for now. :)

View from Villa Adriana of surrounding Tivoli. Hard to see, but lots of housing built right into the mountains.

Arrival

We are finally in Rome, Italy as of 9:37am Rome time. The flight had its ups and downs, but overall it was pretty smooth. We had some pretty scary turbulence halfway through which isn't really my preference. Though it was amusing to find out that Italians apparently always clap when a plane lands.

The airport in Rome wasn't as scary as I assumed it would be. Most of the signs are in both English and Italian, and we actually all got our luggage and none was lost. On the way to our dorms, seeing Rome was not at all what I expected. The areas we've been in still remind me of an American city without all of the skyscrapers. Some parts are modern, yet some definitely show the history here. I did notice three Chinese restaurants and a Japanese restaurant on the way though - pretty typical for a city.

Our living quarters are nice. We have a view of a large courtyard and have a floor with seven rooms, with a shared bathroom, living space, and kitchen. I'll be satisfied once I completely unpack my room and find an adapter/converter for my laptop and camera.

We went to an Italian market (supermarket) today and got some basic food and toiletries. It was interesting seeing all of the food that Italians normally buy. Most of the toiletries were American... probably a good way to try to rip off tourists. Can't say I blame them. We bought large (1.5liter) bottles of water for 29 euro cents. Score. If only they had that in the States... though usually in the States tap water tastes a lot better.

It is hot here. I finally had adjusted to the temperatures at home and here, its over 90 degrees, 34 degrees Celsius. Most of the clothes I have are probably going to be uncomfortable... not to mention will make me look American.

Finally being here has calmed my nerves a bit, though I still need to adjust. Some things I still don't know how I feel about them. I'm sure we'll all adjust sooner or later.

Pictures in the next post.

Tomorrow?!

Ok so, I officially have way too much stuff. I seem to be a pro at stressing myself out too. I have two open suitcases, one a carry-on and one checked, sitting in my family room. I keep realizing I need more things that I would never even think of needing here, but no place to put them. Hopefully, everything will magically find itself a place eventually.

Honestly, right now, I'm a bit too anxious and nervous to be excited. I've never been on a flight longer than three hours, and I've never been to Europe either. It's going to take some serious adjusting. I'm sure I'll figure it out in time. I don't think I ever fully believed I'd actually be studying abroad until these past few days. After visiting State College for the weekend, I realized that I'd be leaving when everyone else was starting classes. It was great to see everyone, but it was a bittersweet feeling when I left.

It also feels strange still being home when mostly everyone is away at school. Usually I'd be with them. I know after tomorrow I won't have as much time to think about it, but it's still odd. I realized on Sunday how much I'm going to truly miss everyone in State College, especially Eric and everyone in studio who I would normally see everyday. We shall keep in contact through email, facebook, skype, and even awesome video chatting on Google+ if I can figure out how it works. Don't forget about me, please. I'll be back in December. I'll miss all of you so much.

Tomorrow I'll be meeting up with Clarissa, Rachel, and Kyle at the Philadelphia Airport to fly to Rome. It feels so weird. It always seemed like Rome was ages away, even when we were applying for our visas and setting up finances. I'll probably be leaving for the airport around 2pm, and will end up sitting there waiting forever. Better safe than sorry, I guess. However, that just gives me a few more hours tomorrow to obsess and wonder about what I should be packing. Wonderful. I'll be happy when I arrive in Rome and am basically settled into the dorms where we will be living.

In just a bit over 24 hours, we'll be embarking on a semester-long adventure. Hopefully, the adjusting process doesn't give me an ulcer. It will be in the 90s in Rome for a while, and to think, I was starting to enjoy the constant 70-80 degree weather here. Oh well. The next time I write here I will be in Rome, Italy for the next 3.5 months.

So Close

There are officially nine days until we are off to Rome. Its crazy. I have no idea where the summer went.

It still doesn't feel like I'll be in another country in a little over a week. We finally received our visas a few weeks ago. They're very official looking, and are even in Italian. Shame my passport picture is so awful looking. I realized I really need to start figuring out what to pack, and how I really won't be able to bring a lot with me. I think I have all of the supplies I need, and I need to tackle my clothes next.

 I have too much stuff.

Living in another country is going to be such a new experience, even in the airport. I'll be surrounded by Italian language and culture, not to mention I'll stick out like a sore thumb. I'll be tripling the amount of places I've seen in a mere four months. I have a train pass for France and Switzerland, and am considering one for Germany as well. I feel like once I get to visit all of these places that it will be hard to leave.

I went to the bookstore the other day and got tour books for Rome and Europe. They seem helpful and very overwhelming. Maybe they're useful, maybe not. I guess I'll find out. I've actually always wondered if what was published in those tour books was how it actually was. I even have an Italian phrase book, but I feel like I'll learn more Italian trying to navigate (probably more like stumble) through Rome.

I don't really have much more to say. I'm scared to death, and really have no idea what I need or what to pack. I'm excited too. I've never been overseas or to Europe before, so the new experiences will start the second I get off of the plane. I'll probably spend the ten hour flight reading as much as I can about Rome.

Nine more days until I am in a new world for four months of my life.